Southwark Council’s improvement works on the Canada Estate have gone £1.7 million over budget and seventeen months over schedule.
Furious residents have branded the project “a comedy sketch” and claim the quality of works is “terrible”.
Many said the delays and overspending were because the council paused works to consult residents on design features midway through the project, causing it to “haemorrhage” money.
Residents on the Rotherhithe estate are now demanding “transparency” and pushing for the project to be considered by the council’s scrutiny committee.
Southwark Council has acknowledged “that certain aspects of the programme may not have met expectations” and said it “understand[s] the calls for greater scrutiny”.
QHIP on the Canada Estate
The Canada Estate works have been part of Southwark’s Quality Homes Investment Programme (QHIP) which aims to bring the council’s housing stock up to modern standards.
Improvements to the ’60s-built Canada Estate have included window and door replacement, external decorations and asbestos removal.
However, the timescales and expenditure have not gone as planned.
Works began in October 2020 and were supposed to take fourteen months but were not completed until May 2023 – a seventeen-month delay.
Costs, much of which is covered by leaseholders, have risen from an original estimate of £4,837,276.02 to £6,573,525.00 as of July 2023.
Leaseholders have estimated they will pay a total of £26,000 each to cover the costs and many have already contributed thousands.
“Stop-start” works
Residents claim the delays, and increased costs, are because works “stop-started” after the council decided to consult residents on design features once works were already underway.
Barry Duckett, Canada Estate Tenants’ and Residents’ Association (TRA) Chair, claimed: “The main reason for the delays is mismanagement and making decisions without consultation.”
Estate leaseholder Michael Robertson said: “Deciding to do these things before doing the consultation – it’s been like a comedy sketch of how not to deliver a major works programme.
“They haemorrhaged expenses halting works whilst engagement took place,” he added.
For example, tenants and leaseholders claim the contractor started painting buildings magnolia only to discover residents wanted battleship grey – meaning buildings are now a mishmash of the two.
Mr Duckett said: “The work that’s been done has not been done to our satisfaction and we are the clients.”
Mr Duckett has also said works were paused while the council consulted on which new windows to install.
The decision to replace the existing windows was already unpopular given the new configurations don’t allow access to balconies.
When the council finally agreed to consult residents on the windows, they offered them just two near-identical options, Mr Duckett has claimed.
Residents have complained that, by restricting access to balconies, people have struggled to clean their windows.
Columbia Point resident Pat Moriarty, 66, said: “We can’t keep clean the windows clean. You’ve got building work going on – you’re going to get dust and everything. Who’s going to clean our windows for us?”
Mr Duckett said Southwark Council originally told him it was replacing windows due to a fire safety report making the recommendation.
A Southwark Council officer later sent an email admitting Mr Duckett had been “misinformed” and apologised.
The email continued: “I understand the Fire Brigade were kind enough to deploy an officer… there was no mentioned [sic] of windows being dangerous, neither was there a report form the London Fire Brigade provided”.
“Enough is enough no consultation”
Estate residents have also complained the quality of the completed works have been inadequate.
People claim the tiles on landings have been left splattered with paint and that holes were cut in walks and shoddily covered up after.
Scotia Court resident Thora Foy claimed: “It went on and on and they left rubbish everywhere and they never offered to come round and clear up.”
Residents have also claimed their front doors were replaced just ten years ago and have questioned why brand-new ones have been installed. “It’s terrible what’s going on here,” Mr Duckett said.
In October 2022, local discontent reached such a level that somebody graffitied the contractor’s compound with angry messages.
Messages included ‘LBS (London Borough of Southwark) stop wasting our money’ and ‘Enough is enough no consultation’.
Tenants are desperate on Canada Estate. @lb_southwark is not listening – something has to give.#EnoughIsEnough @Southwark_News pic.twitter.com/WYZtzOKTvm
— Bermondsey says Enough Is Enough (@se16RightsandJx) October 30, 2022
Residents also say the blocks were left covered in a dark netting that shrouded homes in darkness, forcing people to spend extra on energy costs.
Durkan declined to comment.
“They don’t do transparency”
Estate residents have since submitted freedom of information requests demanding the council reveal its correspondence with contractor Durkan to establish what caused the delays.
But Southwark Council has rejected the FOIs, claiming they are “vexatious”, a decision upheld by Information Commissioner’s Office.
But resident Michael Robertson is adamant the refusal is unfair. He said: “Our council wants to lead in a very controlling way so they don’t do transparency.”
In April, some residents formally requested the Canada Estate programme go before the scrutiny committee.
A scrutiny committee would question project decision making and performance. The News understands Southwark Council has not responded to the request yet.
Mr Robertson said: “If you’re a third over budget and two years behind schedule you want to put that to scrutiny.”
Cllr Stephanie Cryan, the council’s current cabinet member for homes and finance, said: “We understand the calls for greater scrutiny of the issues raised. However, it’s important to note that the committee responsible operates independently from the council, and we are unable to dictate their agenda.”
Southwark Council’s Response
Councillor Stephanie Cryan, Cabinet Member for Homes, Communities and Finance, said: “The Quality Homes Investment Programme on the Canada Estate is a crucial part of our borough-wide commitment to providing high-quality homes to our residents.
“We value the feedback from residents on the estate and acknowledge that certain aspects of the programme may not have met expectations. As a council, we work hard to deliver projects within established timelines, budgets, and ensure public safety.
“In cases where these standards have fallen short, we are committed to learning from these experiences to inform future major works programmes. We understand the calls for greater scrutiny of the issues raised. However, it’s important to note that the committee responsible operates independently from the council, and we are unable to dictate their agenda.
Analysis: The tip of the iceberg?
Residents’ growing dismay with the quality and speed of works on the Canada Estate will pile pressure on a struggling housing department.
Southwark Council’s housing chief Michael Scorer resigned last month for “personal reasons” meaning the department is missing an experienced head at the helm.
Making matters worse, Mr Scorer had recently made the shock admission that the council couldn’t meet its 11,000 house-building target.
The QHIP programme has also been mired in controversy. Bermondsey’s Kirby Estate residents claim windows bought for their homes through the programme – costing £1.3 million – had made their homes draughty and caused black fungal growth.
Southwark Council refused to review the works for years but in July, residents finally convinced the council to reinspect the works.
Furthermore, the council has announced that, due to new building and fire safety regulations, the QHIP programme is under review.
It is currently unclear whether, and how much, this could add to the already mounting QHIP bill.
Underpinning this is the uncomfortable fact that, in the last financial year, Southwark Council took £6.7 million from its housing revenue account (HRA) reserves, bringing the fund to its “lowest ever point”.
Cllr Cryan has insisted the council retains “a firm grip” on its finances.
But critics argue this is contradicted by the council’s Policy and Resources Strategy report which admits there’s “limited scope within the HRA to absorb ever-increasing demands”.